Tips help maximize small spaces

Janet Lee doesn't think being short on space means you have to skimp on style.

Janet Lee doesnít think being short on space means you have to skimp on style.

Lee, a TV producer, learned about decorating from the style experts she worked with on Oprah Winfreyís show and put her ideas to the test in her own series of tiny apartments.

She shares those ideas for small-space decorating in her blog and now in a book by the same name, Living in a Nutshell (Harper Design, $25), with the subtitle Posh and Portable Decorating Ideas for Small Spaces.

The book demonstrates Leeís three primary decorating principles: Delight, dazzle and divert. Itís filled with ideas that either catch or fool the eye, such as painting broad horizontal stripes on a wall to create the illusion of space and disguising ugly kitchen cabinet doors by covering them with cheerful fabric.

Her designs are created with renters in mind, so they wonít damage surfaces and can be removed and taken to a new place. But you donít have to be an apartment dweller to borrow her ideas, which range from the chic (an elegant built-in bar) to the cheeky (a display of repainted trophies).The book also offers a listing of off-the-beaten-path design resources.

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